Curtains finally dropped for Simona Halep. A two-time Grand Slam winner, Halep announced retirement from the sport after exiting the 2025 Transylvania Open in the first round. While the decision caught her followers off-guard, she long hinted at her struggles with her knee pain.

“To be competitive, it requires much more, and at this moment, it is no longer,” Halep addressed. As she stepped away, the fraternity poured best wishes for her. Among them was a tribute from Paula Badosa, whose words reverberated Halep’s legacy.

Halep’s final match was against Lucia Bronzetti in Cluj, where she lost in two straight straights, marking the end of her era. “I’m making this decision with my soul. It’s a beautiful thing. I became world number one, I won Grand Slams, it’s all I wanted. Life goes on, there is life after tennis and I hope that we will see each other again,” she said post-match. Halep’s farewell caught Spain’s Paula Badosa sadly who took to her IG story to reflect on Halep’s influence.

“Simona,” she began with a teary-eyed emoji and continued, “wish you all the best in your new chapter! You were a big big inspiration for me your tennis and fight would be missed. Happy life champion.” Badosa also shared a throwback from her Miami Open clash against Halep alongside her message. Recently, she shared an offseason practice with the former player in December.

At that time, the WTA No. 10 posted a selfie with the Romanian on her IG story with an adorable caption: “Great practice with this champ thank you.” When Halep reshared her image, Badosa acknowledged it again by adding three top arrow emojis to her story. Despite losing against the former WTA No. 1 twice in their three clashes, Badosa remained respectful towards Halep. She also confessed her faith in Halep’s potential during a press conference in January.

Paula Badosa believed Simona Halep was “a big player”

Reflecting on Halep’s legacy, Badosa said, “Even if Simona is 10 years without competing, she’s still Simona. She’s a big player. She’s won so many titles. I respect her so much.” 

Badosa defeated Halep in the first round of the 2024 Miami Open. Despite her victory, she only highlighted the Romanian’s brilliance. Badosa believed skillful players like Simona Halep could reclaim her WTA top ranking. “I think she’s going to be back on the top very soon. These kind of players, you can never doubt about them because they’ve been great champions,” she concluded.  The WTA No. 10 also confessed that she didn’t like her draw against a skilled player like Halep because of her admiration towards the latter.

Halep’s career ended but her spirit and resilience remained influential. Despite her doping ordeal, she returned to the court with full spirit. Now on her new journey, she received support from players like Paula Badosa who highlighted the impact Halep left on the generation.